Creating 12 new spaces for local people to grow their own food. These attracted 1,366 new growers, who cultivated 341 new allotment plots and became members of three new community-supported farms.

Training over 600 of our staff and volunteers about sustainable food and promoting it to visitors.

The initiative, which drew to a close in March 2011, focused on 33 of our properties and was funded with £500,000 from the Government (Defra).

Why is sustainable, local food important?

In society as a whole, we take food too much for granted. Many of us are not eating a healthy diet, let alone a sustainable one and we’ve been disconnected from how food is produced.

The world faces serious challenges over the processes we currently employ to produce our food, and we must all consider what we can do to create a more sustainable food system.

20 per cent of greenhouse gases are attributed to our food system.

70 per cent of global fresh water is used by agriculture.

50 per cent of vegetables and 95 per cent of fruit eaten in the UK is imported.

One third of all UK food is thrown away.

The uplifting, inspiring experiences enjoyed by visitors to our properties have shown how we can all be part of positive change. Eating local food which has been sustainably produced and growing it ourselves is hugely enjoyable and helps us to reconnect with the living environment on which we all depend.

Growing Spaces

The new growing spaces created by the Eat into Green Living project are situated at the following properties: